Background
In the late 1820’s, the north was becoming rapidly industrialized while the south’s main industry was agriculture. When the Tariff of Abominations was passed in 1828, it fueled the southerners anger because it was seen as only benefiting the north. The tariff made imports more expensive, increasing the cost of britain textiles therefore, lessened the demand of cotton in the south. The southerners looked to the current vice president, John C Calhoun (from South Carolina) for advice and leadership against this tariff.
Nullification
Calhoun agreed to the problem and decided this would help his political position. While many wanted him to use this as a reason to secede from the union, Calhoun mediated with the idea of “nullification.” Nullification is the right to reject a federal law deemed unconstitutional. The idea was that the federal government did not have any power to exercise powers not explicitly mentioned in the US Constitution.
In 1832, Henry Clay produced a new tariff bill, this time having lower rates but the southerners were still not content. Due to a high percentage of state-rights proponents in South Carolina, the “South Carolina Ordinance of Nullification” was passed and made into law on November 24, 1832. This meant SC did not recognize the Tariff of Abominations as a law nor were they going to follow it.
Significance
Andrew Jackson was put in a difficult situation, having to face this states-rights challenge. His response was asking Congress to allow him to use federal troops as enforcement of federal laws. Henry Clay avoided this potential armed confrontation by creating a compromise bill (also regarded as the “bloody bill”) which led South Carolina to nullify the bill, also known as the Force Bill. This power struggle between the state and federal laws were one of the first rumblings leading to civil war.
At the heart of Calhoun’s ideas was the idea of state rights verses federal control. This led a major debate in the US Senate because many were unsure if individual states had the right to nullify federal laws. Opinions were so divided it practically lead to military confrontation when South Carolina threatened to secede. The Union desperately wanted to be a unified nationalistic nation while the south remained hopelessly divided.
Nullification showed the difference between the two regions, the north and south were no longer just divided economically and socially but now took opposite stances politically as well. These divisions are essentially what built up to the civil war.
Background
In the late 1820’s, the north was becoming rapidly industrialized while the south’s main industry was agriculture. When the Tariff of Abominations was passed in 1828, it fueled the southerners anger because it was seen as only benefiting the north. The tariff made imports more expensive, increasing the cost of britain textiles therefore, lessened the demand of cotton in the south. The southerners looked to the current vice president, John C Calhoun (from South Carolina) for advice and leadership against this tariff.
Nullification
Calhoun agreed to the problem and decided this would help his political position. While many wanted him to use this as a reason to secede from the union, Calhoun mediated with the idea of “nullification.” Nullification is the right to reject a federal law deemed unconstitutional. The idea was that the federal government did not have any power to exercise powers not explicitly mentioned in the US Constitution.
In 1832, Henry Clay produced a new tariff bill, this time having lower rates but the southerners were still not content. Due to a high percentage of state-rights proponents in South Carolina, the “South Carolina Ordinance of Nullification” was passed and made into law on November 24, 1832. This meant SC did not recognize the Tariff of Abominations as a law nor were they going to follow it.
Significance
Andrew Jackson was put in a difficult situation, having to face this states-rights challenge. His response was asking Congress to allow him to use federal troops as enforcement of federal laws. Henry Clay avoided this potential armed confrontation by creating a compromise bill (also regarded as the “bloody bill”) which led South Carolina to nullify the bill, also known as the Force Bill. This power struggle between the state and federal laws were one of the first rumblings leading to civil war.
At the heart of Calhoun’s ideas was the idea of state rights verses federal control. This led a major debate in the US Senate because many were unsure if individual states had the right to nullify federal laws. Opinions were so divided it practically lead to military confrontation when South Carolina threatened to secede. The Union desperately wanted to be a unified nationalistic nation while the south remained hopelessly divided.
Nullification showed the difference between the two regions, the north and south were no longer just divided economically and socially but now took opposite stances politically as well. These divisions are essentially what built up to the civil war.